What are the rules on child neglect and could YOU get in trouble? The advice every parent needs ahead of the summer holidays

The NSPCC received 1,300 calls and emails last summer from adults with concerns or questions about the safety of youngsters left unattended

By Sarah Barns

18th July 2017, 2:21 pm

Updated: 18th July 2017, 2:43 pm

THERE has been a sharp rise in reports of parents leaving their kids home alone during the school holidays, a leading children’s charity has revealed.

The NSPCC said it received almost 1,300 calls and emails last summer - an increase in about a third on the previous year - from adults with concerns or questions about the safety of youngsters left unattended.

The NSPCC, a children's charity, says it has seen an increase in reports of parents leaving their kids home alone during the school holidays (Picture posed by model)

Although the law does not give a minimum age at which children can be left unsupervised, parents can face neglect charges if a child is deemed to have been at risk of injury or suffering.

Tim Haines, 53, was prosecuted for leaving his sick two-year-old daughter, Iset, alone in a car for five minutes while he ran into a chemist to buy some Calpol.

He said his daughter was “barely out of sight” but he returned to find police waiting at his car.

Two weeks later, officers arrived at his Worcestershire home to arrest him for "exposing a child to risk of harm".

“I was taken through the magistrates’ court where initially I was convicted,” he told the BBC.

"My solicitor said don't appeal, I got a barrister's opinion which said don't appeal, but I was so angry that I appealed and when I finally got it in front of the judge he said 'five minutes? That's supposed to be a crime?'"

Natasha Harding used to regularly leave her five-year-old son for up to 10 minutes while she popped across the road to the shop

Mr Haines, who won the appeal, says the law allows parental responsibility and "the need to be able to exercise that responsibility".

Meanwhile, mum-of-two Natasha Harding told This Morning’s Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield that she used to regularly leave her five-year-old son for up to 10 minutes while she popped across the road to the shop.

While her approach sparked a fierce debate on the ITV programme, she said: “My son is very cautious, if I give him an instruction he follows it.

“My daughter, even at two, is a very different nature and I can’t see me ever leaving her at nine.

“I think if you start giving children choices from a young age which you are comfortable with, and you minimise any risks, it works.”

Natasha said a law which clearly states a list of ages of when parents can leave their children would be beneficial, but the NSPCC disagrees.

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The Law On Leaving Your Child On Their Own

The law doesn’t say an age when you can leave a child on their own, but it’s an offence to leave a child alone if it places them at risk.

Use your judgement on how mature your child is before you decide to leave them alone, e.g. at home or in a car.

Parents can be prosecuted if they leave a child unsupervised ‘in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health’.

Source: gov.uk

A spokesperson told The Sun Online: “Children mature at different rates so a ‘one size fits all’ law would not be right.

"The choice is best left to parents who are best placed to know what is right for their child."

So how should parents interpret the law to work out what is legal and what might land them with a fine or a prison sentence?

Of the 1,294 calls and emails to the NSPCC’s 24-hour helplines between July and September 2016, 83 per cent were considered serious enough to pass on to social services.

NPSCC Chief Executive Peter Wanless told The Sun Online: “Deciding if a child is ready to be left on their own can be a very difficult decision and the summer holidays can be a difficult time for parents and carers as they face increasing childcare pressures.

“Although the law doesn’t specify a minimum age, no child should be left on their own if there is any risk they will come to harm.

“Children mature at their own rate so it’s really important parents think carefully about what is right for their child.

The NPSCC states that babies should never be left alone, and those aged under 16 should not be unsupervised overnight (Picture posed by model)

“Children shouldn’t be left on their own if they are not happy with being left, or if they don’t know what to do in an emergency.”

The charity states that parents need to think whether a child would be able to cope with unexpected situations such as an emergency, a stranger calling at the house, being hungry or if the parent is away for longer than they thought.

The NSPCC says babies should never be left alone, and children under the age of 16 should not be left unsupervised overnight.

Solicitor advocate Joy Merriam told The Sun Online that law officials will assess each incident on a case-by-case basis.

"As with many areas of the law it's a matter of degree, so the age of the child, length of time left alone...etc will be factors, " she said.

"The key issue is safeguarding - so if a child is placed at risk e.g. by being left locked in a home unable to get out or left without adequate food /drink this could be considered child cruelty and a criminal offence.

The NSPCC's Guide On Leaving Your Child On Their Own

Babies, toddlers and very young children should never be left alone

Children under the age of 12 are rarely mature enough to cope in an emergency and should not be left at home alone for a long period of time

Children under the age of 16 should not be left alone overnight

Parents and carers can be prosecuted for neglect if it is judged that they placed a child at risk by leaving them at home alone

A child should never be left at home alone if they do not feel comfortable with it, regardless of their age

If a child has additional needs, these should be considered when leaving them at home alone or with an older sibling

When leaving a younger child with an older sibling think about what may happen if they were to have a falling out - would they both be safe?

Source: NSPCC

"The more usual consequence, if a child is found home alone, is social services involvement and the child being removed into the care of the local authority while they assess whether it is safe for the child to return."

She added that teens are frequently left in charge of their younger siblings, but caution should be executed around leaving younger kids with siblings.

"Again it is question of the age and maturity of the supervising sibling and the surrounding circumstances," she said.

"Whilst it may be safe to leave a mature 14 year old to look after a 9 year old for an afternoon it would not be appropriate to leave a 12 year old to care for three younger siblings all day, for example."